The plate selected this week for our blog is from Sopó, Colombia. Sopó is a town based 25 miles north of the capital of Bogotá in the district of Cundinamarca.

This plate is from the 1972-1990 era. This era of plate was replaced with a newer style of plate in 1990 onwards, but this design still remains in use in some vehicles throughout Colombia.

We have selected one of our rarer plates this time from Iraq in Western Asia. Number plates in Iraq are rectangular and are of metal construction.

Number plates have the words IRAQ and a symbol stamped central to the plate, also a hologram beneath for authenticity. The registration number on the right-hand side of the plate is written in Eastern Arabic numerals.

On the left-hand side, the word Iraq appears in Arabic and underneath the name of the Governorates of Iraq appears.

This plate, in particular, is from a taxi/hire vehicle hence its red construction. Vehicles which are for hire ie taxi, bus and so on are red.

Private vehicle number plates are white, governmental are blue. Trade vehicles, ie; trucks, tractors cranes and so on have a yellow background. Temporary plates are a black background and army are green.

This week we have selected a 1999 series Israeli Number Plate. The 1999 series is made of metal construction and is based on 7 digits with two hyphens. The blue badge, similar to our GB Euro badges has IL and the Flag of Israel.

In 2018 the Israeli Number Plate system was revamped with a new numbering system, which consisted of letters between A and N to define the city in which the vehicle was registered. There are 6 characters in total, one letter with the others being numerals.

We have selected this week a 1995 series Panamanian number plate from Panama in Central America. Panama uses the same style of number plates as the USA which are 12" x 6" and made in pressed metal format.

This particular plate is from the Chiriquí Province of Panama on the western coast which is the second most developed providence in the country. These plates show country name at the top, province at the bottom and registration in the centre which consists of numbers only.

This week we have a motorcycle plate from the Cook Islands which is situated in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand. In total, the Cook Islands consists of 15 islands with a total land area of just 92 square miles.

Cook Island number plates are 372 mm x 134 mm but this particular motorcycle number plate is smaller and based on two lines similar to the UK. These plates have yellow backgrounds with black digits, although older plates were black with silver digits.

Standard Belarusian number plates now consist of four digits and two letters plus one further digit. These are displayed on a white background with black digits and a Belarusian flag with BY.

Our number plate is from the 2000-2004 era where number plates were white with red digits. They consisted of 4 numbers followed by three letters with the Belarus emblem in the middle.

We have selected a red number plate this week from Gabon in Africa. Gabon is a country situated on the west coast of Africa below Equatorial Guinea.

This number plate is a temporary import number plate given to foreign NGOs. They have a red background and white characters. Regular Gabon number plates have black digits on a yellow background with the same national flag and RG.

This week we have selected an Australian number plate from the state of Victoria. This particular number plate is from the 1977–1994 era and is in very good condition for its age.

Australia has just announced it is allowing Emoji symbols on its number plates. Drivers can select from a choice of 5 Emojis, laugh out loud, wink, sunglasses, heart and smile.

It is proposed under a trial scheme being rolled out by state government-owned company Personalised Plates Queensland (PPQ) from 1st March 2019. The new emoji plates will cost between AU$160 to AU$500.

For quite some time we’ve seen that you can support your favourite team or your favourite town with a symbol on your number plate,” Royal Automobile Club of Queensland spokeswoman Rebecca Michael told 7News Brisbane. “And using an emoji is no different.”

The Australian Government has stated that the purpose is for the police to be able to identify vehicles easier.

Lesotho is a high a high-altitude landlocked country based in South Africa. Lesotho requires its residents to register their vehicles and display vehicle registration plates. Plates are blue-on-white for private vehicles and red-on-white for government vehicles. They follow the format of one or two letters followed by four numbers. Before 1979, plates were white-on-black and had an additional preceding 'L' which stood for Lesotho.

This week we have selected a number plate from the sunny islands of Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean. Antigua and Barbuda is a small country based in the West Indies based around two islands.

This number plate is of metal construction and is a pressed plate with black digits. The plate its self is very worn and pealing in areas due to the Sun and the Sea weathering the plate. Number plates in Antigua and Barbuda are 12x6 inches in size and are currently white on both front and rear.

This week we have selected a souvenir number plate from the most remote island in the world called Tristan Da Cunha in the South Atlantic. It is situated 1,491 miles from Cape Town in South Africa, 2,088 miles from Brazil and 1,243 miles from St.Helena. The island has only 250 permanent inhabitants and very few vehicles.

Number plates in Tristan Da Cunha consist of the three letters of TDC for the island and then a hyphen with two or three numbers. Plates on the island have always been white on black and have not changed format since 1969.

Ghanaian number plates are made from pressed aluminium with a white reflective background and green overlay on the digits and border. Ghanaian number plates show the flag of their country applied to their plates with GH shortcode for the country.

The first two letters are for the region, GS relates to the "Greater Accra Region" which is based on the 10 administrative regions of Ghana which is the most urbanised region in the country with 87.4% of its total population living in urban centres. The remaining 4 numbers and a letter are random and incremental based on registration of the vehicle.

We have selected a French number plate to start off the new year. French number plates are very different now from what they use to be. This particular plate is from Arles in southern France and has the manufacturers name and address in the footer section of the plate.

This actual plate is hard to date, as it is a sticker type applied over a metal backing so we believe this is not the original number plate and that the original lies beneath. We do know that it came from a Citroen 2CV which were produced from the years of 1948-1990.

We estimate the original plate being in the region of the 1960-1970 era with it being replaced with this sticker type overlay somewhere in the 1990's by the garage in Arles.

Today we have selected a white metal number plate from Switzerland. This number plate is different from general Swiss number plates as it is a "Temporary Licence Plate" issued by the Swiss government. Temporary licence plates are issued to foreign persons either living or working in Switzerland on a temporary basis.

Swiss temporary licence plates have an embossed red stripe at the end of the plate which contains the year of which the licence plate had been issued and is valid for. Temporary plates are issued with the first two letters of location, in this case Zurich, and lastly 5 digits which contains the registration number.

This week we have selected a number plate a little closer to home from the Isle of Man. Isle of Man number plates consists of one letter, in this case, K and then the standard MN, followed by 3 numbers and one final letter. Isle of Man number plates include the Manx Coat of Arms to the left which dates back to the 13th century and is based on 3 legs know in the IOM as "ny tree cassy".

The font used in IOM number plates is based on the laser charles wright font which is used in the UK, but is much thinner similar to that of the UK motorcycle font. The letters A, I, O, Q, S and Z are not used on Manx number plates.

Today we have selected a US number plate from the state Arkansas. We just had to purchase this plate when we found it, as it has our own company name PFC on it. In the US they sell what is called "Vanity Plates" which the states sell for use on vehicles, they are the same as our personalised registrations with a few exceptions.

For example, in Arkansas, you can purchase virtually any letters or numbers no longer than 7 digits for $25 as long as is hasn't already been registered. A far cry from the tens and hundreds of thousands the DVLA charges for some UK personalised registration numbers.

The states also allow you to purchase several different background styles labelled Special Interest & Organizational Tags. Also included are Military Tags and Historic & Custom Specialty Plates.

Middle Eastern number plates have always been hard to source and usually carry a higher price tag due to past volatility in the region. Our Saudi plate is from the 1980 era. These plates are made from pressed aluminium embossed with a black hot foil laid over the pressed areas.

The plate is displayed with Arabic letters with English numerals at the bottom. The first two letters are location identifiers, with the remaining the registration details. The size is roughly that of US number plates, and US import plates at 12" x 6".

This week we have selected one of our most recent number plates from Australasia and the 2010 era. These modern style number plates were first issued in 2008.

Tasmania offers a very unique personalised number plate range through what is called the TasPlates scheme. It is a wide range of coloured, prestige and themed number plates available for a one of fee.

The government offers many styles of number plate such as Carbon Fibre, Tech, Chic, Sports and Leisure, Prestige, Classic and many more.

Today we have selected a number plate from Andorra, a small country nestled in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain. It is known for its ski resorts and its tax-free shopping.

Number plates were first issued in Andorra in the 1930's and featured black registrations on white backgrounds. They were on two lines with the first line featuring "AND" for Andorra, and the second line the registration number in black digits.

The plate is a similar size to USA number plates and is made from a pressed aluminium with a back foil applied over the top. You will see the Andorra crest in the top left along with the words PRINCIPAT D-ANDORRA in the footer.

This week we have selected a Monaco number plate from the 1990's. These number plates are very hard to source due to their limited production. This one is a little beaten, which is most probably why it was replaced.

It is a very small number plate made from aluminium, just 30cm wide by 14cm high and uses Monaco's specific "Nummerschild Monaco" font which was designed specifically for use in Monaco number plates.

Prior to 1979 registrations in Monaco contained numbers only, but this changed to also include a letter which defined the type of vehicle ie rental car, tourist car, diplomatic car, pending car, motorcycles and so on.

Today we have selected a white and red number plate from the other side of the globe. This particular number plate is from the 1956-1961 era before New Zealand issued permanent registration plates in 1964 which were black and silver and were issued by New Zealand's post office.

This style was used for a small era of around 10 years in total. You will see the star in the middle which was used as a separator between the first 3 digits and last 3 digits.

Back when number plates were first issued in New Zealand in 1925 they were issued every year, apart from the WW2 era when they were only issued every five years due to a shortage of steel.

Unlike UK number plates New Zealand removed some characters from registrations such as V, I and O to prevent them from being mistaken for other characters ie U, 1 and 0.

In 1986 the New Zealand government started issuing the first reflectorised number plates which were black characters on white reflective similar to the UK's number plates except much smaller. Most New Zealand number plates are 357mm x 125mm which are slightly deeper than UK plates, but less in width due to less characters required.

In 1988 the New Zealand government introduced "Personalised Number Plates" similar to the UK. Though their government used the income wisely for projects such as their road and safety research.

One of the oldest plates from our Australasian collection which you can see to the right-hand side. You may also notice a Papua New Guinea number plate in the bottom right-hand corner one which we will cover in a later blog post.

For today's blog, we have selected a rare plate from Kosrae a small Island in the Pacific ocean which is part of the Federated States of Micronesia. With a population of just over 6,000 people, there is very few vehicles and number plates alike.

Their plates are made from Aluminum and this one has the registration number 1365 and is from the year 1996. It has a similar style of manufacture to American plates which comes as no surprise as Federated States of Micronesia are part of the associated state of the USA.

This week we have selected a small 1939 Yugoslavian motorcycle number plate. This number plate is very small and roughly 5 inches wide by 3.5" high and has one mounting hole at the top of the plate in the middle.

You can see the date of 1939 in the top left-hand corner of the plate although the plate has severely faded and become very rusty. Between the years of 1930 and 1940 Yugoslavia used white backed number plates with black digits as you can see here.

The number to the left in red represented the province code which the numeral 1 is for Belgrade. In total there was 10 province codes from 1 to 10. The black number is the registration number for this motorcycle.

A very small but historic number plate.

Today we have selected our Sri Lankan number plate to add to our blog entry. We purchased this number plate last year from a UK collector. We believe the age to be between 1956 and 1980. In 1956 a new system was bought in with the Sinhala script letter Sri (ශ්‍රී) which was then removed on number plates in Sri Lanka after 1993. You can see this Sinhala symbol on the lower of our photos of the number plate.

Number plates commenced in 1912 in Sri Lanka, black number plates were used with white or silver-grey digits. They had a one or two letter prefix for the type and class of the vehicle, and up to a 4 digit serial number. Number plate collectors from around the world still say that several number plates in Sri Lanka are still displaying very old number plates from the 1910-1930 era.

Other styles of number plates included red number plates with a gold seal which the president of Sri Lanka used. Military vehicles had very similar number plates to our example, but they also had a symbol of either army, navy or air force.

A new series of number plates was released in late 2000 which consists of a similar format to European number plates, with a white front and yellow rear in standard 520x111 size.

The material of our number plate is a pressed and preformed aluminium number plate which is very modern for its time. The digits are made of metal and are riveted on to the number with 2-3 rivets from the back. These digits are preformed, the manufacturer then applies them to the plate.

We have here a beautiful Lebanese number plate from the 1950's-1960 era. The number plate is made from cast iron and weighs close to 3KG and it is a serious chunk of number plate.

These number plates are made by pouring molten metal into a mould with the specific registration digits. It is the cooled off and the background is painted black and the digits are polished back to pure metal.

It has hardly degraded one bit and we had to attach it in all 4 locations on our wall as it kept falling off. You will see both English and Arabic letters on either side of the number plate. The size is virtually the same size as the standard UK number plate size, but weight and thickness are very different. These plates are becoming very rare and are a real gem for any collector.

Number plates in Lebanon are very different now to what they use to be. Now a pressed metal finish is used with a blue badge to the left of the number plate, similar to our GB Euro number plates.

Here we have a genuine Nazi WW2 number plate with lippe dealer seal. You will notice the plate has what looks likes some fire damage. The L stands for Leipzig which is a city in the eastern German state of Saxony. During World War II, Leipzig was repeatedly attacked by British as well as American air raids so this could explain the fire damage.

Unfortunately there are no records which we can obtain to determine exactly what vehicle this plate was registered to. Based on our own research when we purchased the plate we believe it was fixed to a large vehicle due to the sheer size and weight of the number plate, so this could have been either a tank or another large transport vehicle.

The material of the plate is a steel and is very heavy and thick. It has succumbed to some rust over the years, but hasn't weathered to bad considering its been through a war. The German plates of the time were hand painted with stencils so hence the digits are not pressed or stuck on.

Another one of our favourite number plates in our collection. This time from the USA and from the year 1913! Number plates in the USA started out in 1900-1901 with owners having to make their own number plates. They were given a registration and they would then have to make it them self. Materials ranged from leather to iron and these plates are very hard to come by for collectors like ourself.

In 1903 the state started producing iron number plates which were covered in a porcelain enamel which is the same manufacture method seen here with our plate. The early number plates though were different and actually made in a cobalt blue colour with white digits with the words MASS. AUTOMOBILE REGISTER at the top. Size was not consistent and sizes ranged from car to car. It wasn't until plate numbers grew into the tens and hundreds of thousands did the state start regulating size and format.

Massachusetts was the first state to issue a number plate, our plate is from Pennsylvania. It shows how durable these plates really were considering its over 100 years old and still looks and in good condition. Notice the rivet badge stamped on the left of the plate, this was the certified tag/stamp of who made the number plates and in our case 325. The weight is very extensive also around 1.5kg.

A fantastic plate, and one we are very proud to have in our collection.

The collapse of the authority in Somalia has meant that there is very little information on Somalian number plates. Since 1980 Somalian number plates have been a steel finish which has been painted in black and white paint. It has both English and Arabic writing on either side of the plate.

We purchased the plate several years ago at a car boot sale. The lady selling the plate had no idea of its origin or its worth as she was clearing out her friend's garage. We believe the plate to be circa 1980.

In 1999 the northern area of Somalia formerly British Somaliland seceded from Somalia and issued number plates with their national flag and Somaliland with a serial number in both English and Arabic characters. Four types are known with separate colours and logos.

The plate is a very basic construction and has gained a lot of rust as it has no stainless materials and is not coated in any rust inhibitors apart from the front hand paint. Still a rare and historic number plate for our collection.